Why Do Public Sector Software Development Projects Fail?
Part 1 – Overview All major public sector enterprises have an increasing investment in software (and IT in general) and a growing need to earn a better return on their investment. Recent studies have shown that software projects are often over budget and behind schedule. Although studies come up with differing numbers, generally statistics show that: • Over half of all medium and large software projects do not deliver their expected benefit, and exceed their schedule and budget. • Over half of the medium and large software projects either fail completely (management pulls the plug) or require big recovery efforts to get them to completion. Software projects, due to their scale and scope present special problems. Management often over estimates the business improvements with optimistic delivery dates before there is a good understanding of the cost and time it will take to complete the project. User needs change, staff members move on, and the scope, schedule and budget begin to grow. T
